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Iran beaten by Saudi Arabia in 2018 Asian Men's Handball Championship

The Iran men’s national handball team (file photo)

The Iran men’s national handball team has suffered its first defeat at the main round of the 18th edition of Asian Men's Handball Championship in South Korea.

The Iranian outfit sustained a 23-26 defeat against Saudi Arabia in a Group 1 match played at Suwon Gymnasium in Suwon, located about 30 kilometers (19 miles) south of the capital Seoul, on Monday.

Iranian and Saudi handball players got off to a fine start, and were relatively neck and neck for much of the opening half. The Saudi sportsmen, however, managed to assert their dominance and chalked up a hard-fought 11-10 win.

The Saudis maintained their lead in the second period, and surged ahead. They finally notched up a 26-23 victory despite stiff fight back from the Iranian squad.

The Iran men’s national handball team will face South Korea in a must-win tie on Tuesday.

The 2018 Asian Men's Handball Championship kicked off on January 18, and will run through January 28.

It acts as the Asian qualifying tournament for the 2019 World Men's Handball Championship. For the first time, Australia, New Zealand and Bangladesh have participated in the event.


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